Chinese smartphone makers are always producing better smartphones while keeping prices low. We can now get ridiculously good smartphones for under $100, while more renown brands struggle to create cost-effective devices. With this in mind, let’s see what we can get nowadays for less than $100!
Top 5 Chinese Smartphones for Under $100
1. Xiaomi Redmi 4A
Let’s begin with what’s still a great bang for the buck, even after some months from launch, we’re obviously talking about the Xiaomi Redmi 4A, more specifically the Pro version which can now be found for $99.99.
The handset from the giant phones manufacturer comes with a super efficient Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 CPU, 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage.
The Xiaomi Redmi 4A sports a 5-inch HD display and a big 3120mAh battery for outstanding battery life. Camera wise, we find a 13MP rear shooter and a 5MP front one for selfies.
Check out Zi Jin Cheng’s review of the Xiaomi Redmi 4A over here!
2. Geotel Note
The Geotel Note is one of the latest devices to hit the market. The phone features 5.5-inch HD display and it’s powered by a MediaTek MT6737 clocked at 1.3Ghz, 3GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage (expandable through microSD).
Geotel’s Note packs an 8MP rear camera with F/2.0 aperture and Dual-LED flash, the front shooter has a resolution of 5MP with a large F/2.0 aperture as well.
The phone is fueled by a generous 3200mAh capacity battery and runs Android 7.0 out of the box.
3. ZOJI Z7
Next on the list we have the ZOJI Z7, the first smartphone from the newborn Chinese company. The Z7 is a rugged phone and — albeit it’s still in presale — we decided to include it for that reason.
The ZOJI Z7 packs relatively decent hardware, with a MediaTek MT6737, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage (expandable). But what makes it interesting is its IP68 water and dust resistant rating, meaning you can dump it into water and it should come out still working fine.
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The rugged phone features a 5-inch display coated in 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 4 and packs a 3000mAh capacity battery. Unlike previous phones on the list, the ZOJI Z7 also comes with a fingerprint scanner.
4. Blackview A9 Pro
Yet another recently launched phone — the Blackview A9 Pro — gets on the list. The device features a 5-inch HD display coated in 2.5D glass and it’s powered by a MediaTek MT6737 CPU — pretty much a constant in here, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of RAM, also expandable.
As far as cameras go, we have a dual camera setup on the back with a main Samsung 8MP rear shooter and a 0.3MP secondary one to create photos with a shallow depth of field. The front-facing camera has a resolution of 2MP.
Blackview A9 Pro’s bestselling point is probably its looks, which the Chinese company claims to be very similar to the Xiaomi Mi5c, we’ll able to confirm that once we get our hands on it, though. The phone does feature a fingerprint scanner on the front as well.
5. Bluboo Dual
Following the dual-camera trend, we have another of those on the list — it’s the Bluboo Dual.
The handset features a big 5.5-inch display with Full HD resolution, a slightly more powerful MediaTek MT6737T SoC, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage (expandable).
The Bluboo Dual unsurprisingly packs two cameras on the back, with the main one being a Sony IMX135 with f/2.0 aperture. The selfie shooter has instead a resolution of 5MP.
The phone is fueled by a 3000mAh battery and sports a fingerprint scanner, which has been placed on the back.
Top 5 Chinese Smartphones for Under $100 – Conclusion
This concludes our list, but we’ll be having these kind of articles every month. If you feel like we missed any important cost-effective phones below $100, please let us know in the comments below and we’ll most likely add them next time!
Wheres meizu m5?
Didn’t make it on the list because it costs slightly more than $100!
you could make an exception :p
I think Xiaomi Redmi 4A Pro is the only one of these five worth buying. Rest all will last maybe 6 months.
Any new top 10 below $180 phones?
Would still go for the Redmi 4A Pro there.
lelwut
Will be posting an under $200!
Thanks. Lost my LeEco Cool 1 Dual when Mom borrowed it for a trip to Dubai and now she wants to keep it after she returned because she loves the camera and audio. Kind of a waste of the SD652 but meh.
Now looking for a replacement. Hope the list would have good phones that are not Zuk Z2 with an average camera.
I think there definately is a call for a reasonably condensed top list for $100/$200 price categories. Top 5 like this is just brilliant! Really looking forward to it.
Wheres meizu m5?
Didn’t make it on the list because it costs slightly more than $100!
you could make an exception :p
I think Xiaomi Redmi 4A Pro is the only one of these five worth buying. Rest all will last maybe 6 months.
Any new top 10 below $180 phones?
Would still go for the Redmi 4A Pro there.
lelwut
Will be posting an under $200!
Thanks. Lost my LeEco Cool 1 Dual when Mom borrowed it for a trip to Dubai and now she wants to keep it after she returned because she loves the camera and audio. Kind of a waste of the SD652 but meh.
Now looking for a replacement. Hope the list would have good phones that are not Zuk Z2 with an average camera.
I think there definately is a call for a reasonably condensed top list for $100/$200 price categories. Top 5 like this is just brilliant! Really looking forward to it.